Picture of You
by icko14
Summary: FINISHED! Started when Mitsui was a Sophomore. Mitsui falls in love but is afraid to ask the girl out because he's a gang leader and the girl's the top student in her class. A year pass... He's changed his ways. Will he get a chance to ask her out?
1. Part 1

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Picture of You

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Non-Yaoi

Author's Notes:

This is my tribute to my Hisashi-kun's birthday! Hehehehe…I hope you can follow the timeline of this story. If you don't e-mail me and I'll explain it to you. * smiles * I know that Birthday tributes should be ONE-SHOTs only but I just can't help writing more and more! I hope that I'll get it finished in the next chapter. Don't forget to review, okie?

Anyway Happy Birthday Mitsui Hisashi! 

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"Argh! Argh!" Azura Trinity grunted as she tried her hardest to open her locker door. The 15-year-old brown-headed green-eyed girl is a freshman at Shohoku High School. The locker assignments were just given that morning after a long two weeks of waiting. She was checking the locker, which was assigned to her. "Stupid locker! Out of all the hundreds of locker in this school why does this have to be the one which is assigned to me?!?" Trinity complained to no one as she continued tugging her locker in vain. She was positive that she had entered the right combination. There really was a problem with the locker's door. 

"Mind if I help you?" a guy's voice suddenly made Trinity whirl around from tugging her locker's handle. She looked up and saw beautiful blue eyes staring politely back at her, waiting for her answer. The owner of the voice had chin-length bluish black hair. He has a scar on his chin but his mouth was curled up into an amused grin.

Trinity stepped back to let the guy try his luck. "I've been trying to open this locker for the last ten minutes and it still wouldn't open," she said, grinning sheepishly at the cute guy in front of her. She was blushing so hard that she was the color of a ripe tomato. Trinity didn't know that someone was watching her struggle with her stubborn locker.

The guy excused himself and stepped in front of the locker. He curled his right hand and banged the upper left side of the locker. The door, as if obeying his silent command, sprang open.

"Wow!" Trinity breathed impressed. 

"I had this locker last year when I was just a freshman like you," the guy explained, still grinning.

"So that's how you do it… Bang it on the upper left side…" the girl stared at her locker in amazement.

"Uh-huh," the guy seconded. "Or… If it won't open again, just stand back and put your hands like this," he stepped back, cupped his hands together, his palm facing the locker door and continued, "And say, 'Open Sesame!'" his face was so serious that it made Trinity double-over with laughter.

"Hahahaha! That was so funny!"

The guy smiled at Trinity, still smiling and pretty proud of himself that he made the girl laugh. He waited for Trinity to compose herself.

"Sorry," Trinity tried to regain her breath as she realized that the boy was still standing looking at her. She paused and took a breath. Trinity turned to him, her green eyes twinkling mischievously, "Or… I could just wait for you to pass by again and open my locker for me." She started laughing again.

The guy just smiled at her laughing figure. There was something about the guy. He keeps his composure. He doesn't laugh out loud like Trinity does but he grins and smiles at her. Most of all, his blue eyes twinkle in laughter, making up for not laughing out loud.

Suddenly, a voice from behind them called out which made the blue-eyed guy snap his head in the direction of the voice. "Mitsui!" the voice was gruff, obviously a boy's voice.

Trinity stood up to attention when she heard the voice called out. "Your friends are calling you," her eyes flickered disappointment. She liked talking to this 'Mitsui' guy even though he doesn't laugh like her and keeps his composure all the time. He has some really funny jokes under his sleeve. Trinity tried to hide her disappointment. "Well, thanks, anyway," she bowed deep in respect at her 'Sempai'.

"Your welcome," the guy turned and bowed in return. With one last look at her, he backed down and went to the direction of his friend who was calling him.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Mitsui Hisashi walked away from the green-eyed girl full of regret. Even though it was against his mind and heart, he went to where his friend, Hotta was standing, along with his other friends. If he wasn't caught talking with the girl, he would've stopped and talk with her and even help her get her locker in order. However, his stupid pride, which has already cost him so much, got in the way. His ego would never take it if his friends 'tease' him when they found out that he was acting like a gentleman to a girl, a freshman nonetheless. He is known to be a gang leader, who always get into fights and that fact concerning the girl would ruin his reputation.

He sighed. He tried to force himself to act normal as he reached his friends. "Hi, guys."

Unknown to Mitsui, though, Hotta saw what happened between Mitsui and the girl and easily sensed that his friend developed a liking to the girl. While the others started to walk towards the stairs that lead to the rooftop, where the gang spent most of their time, Hotta held back and decided to have a little talk with Mitsui, who always brought the rear. 

"Spill the beans," Hotta said in a low voice so that the others won't hear.

"Nani? What are you talking about?" Mitsui asked alarmed. _Am I really that transparent?_

"Yes," as if reading his thoughts Hotta answered. "You're out of it."

Mitsui sighed. Hotta never fails to sense when something is wrong with him. "There's this girl…" he never had a chance to finish for Hotta cut him off.

"Don't worry about it… I'll take care of everything for you… I'll send one of the guys to find out who that girl is," Hotta assured his friend.

Mitsui surprised can only smile at him gratefully. "Thanks, Hotta," he mumbled as he pat his friend in the back as they made their way to the rooftop.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Trinity watched his retreating figure before burying her head in her locker to clean it before she placed her things in it. She found three pieces of crumpled paper, a torn out magazine picture of a bikini-clad girl and a lot of other things that are usually stocked in a locker and easily forgotten about. Her hands full, she walked to the nearest trashcan to dump the things in. _That Mitsui guy is like any other guy. He lives like a pig! _She brushed her hands in her skirt and a small giggle escaped her mouth. _But there is no denying he is cute and unbelievingly attractive… Blue-eyed and that scar under his chin… I wonder where he got it… _Content that her hand has already been cleaned of the dust, she headed back to her locker.

Staring at her locker, she took a deep breath and dug her hand again to check for the last time before putting her things that the locker was clean. She roamed her hands around the top shelf and then… She felt a smooth paper touch her fingers. Trinity grabbed the paper as she pulled her hand out. She was surprised to saw a picture of an unfamiliar smiling boy. The boy seems to be staring back at her, his mouth set in a wide smile, as if he was laughing when the picture was taken. His bluish hair was just below his eyes. 

His eyes.

"Oh!" Trinity gasped as she saw the boy's eyes. It was no mistaking that the boy in the picture was the guy who helped her with her locker door, after all he was the owner of the locker before her. It makes sense that he would've left his picture in his own locker. 

She grazed her fingers over the picture. _His hair is much shorter. He hasn't got his scar and he's… Smiling so wide. How can he smile like this as if he's laughing? Like he lives a carefree life when now he's so… _

Trinity stopped. She grinned to herself. She decided to return the picture to Mitsui when she sees him. _For the meantime, cutie, you belong to me! _Trinity got her binder notebook and tucked it between one of the pages. 

* * * * * * * * * *

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After a two weeks…

Trinity twirled her ballpen while she sat on her Algebra class, daydreaming. Two weeks has passed ever since her first encounter with Mitsui, and maybe her last. She hasn't seen him since the locker incident although she tried her hardest to look out for him in the hallways. _Maybe my schedule clashes with him because he's a sophomore. _

A voice suddenly distracted her from her daydream. "Sensei! Sensei!" It was the most obnoxius , Nunuke. 

Trinity snickered to herself. She didn't particularly like Nunuke. He always competes with her through grades, even though it is known throughout the whole class that Trinity got the higher grades. It was also rumored that he sucked up to the teachers.

"I'll get your record book for you!" he cried as always trying to butter himself up with the teacher. The teacher in turn waved him off. He went off to the faculty room in glee while the class was as just relieved that he was out of the room.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Nunuke was just about to round the corner to get to the faculty room when strong hands grabbed him from behind and pulled him in one of the empty classrooms. There were three guys, all of them big and tall, towering the pipsqueak Nunuke.

"What do you want?" Nunuke stammered noticing that the three belonged to the most feared gang in the school.

One of them, with a toothy grin, advanced towards him. "We're not going to hurt you. We just want some information."

"About who?" was the comeback.

"The girl in your class who has green eyes and brown chin-length hair."

It all clicked in Nunuke's mind. These bullies wanted to find something about his longtime rival, Trinity. Defiant, the obnoxious guy turned on his heels and made his way to the door as he called out, "I'm going. I'm not going to give you any information." 

However as soon as the three guys found out about his plan to escape, one of them blocked his way and grabbed him by the collar. He pushed him in one of the chairs. "If you resist more you're going to get more than that," the other guy growled threateningly.

Knowing that there was no escape, Nunuke complied. "All right! I don't know what you want with her but I'll give you some information about her…" In his mind he was thinking that maybe this guy want to harm her and so he complied.

"Stop side-tracking! Get to the point!" the third guy, who happens to be Hotta bellowed.

"Okay! Okay! Well, her name is Azura Trinity. She's 15 years old and she came from Tomigaoka Junior High. She's the top student in our class," and with this Nunuke snickered.

"Very well, that's all we need," Hotta cut him off. That was enough information.

Nunuke prepared his way to go. He was almost at the doorway when he paused, his back facing the three burly guys, "And," he drawled, "She's a bitch."

That was the last straw. Hotta was so angry that this guy was saying bad things about the girl that Mitsui likes. He quickly strode over to the younger boy, grabbed him from behind and dragged him inside. Nunuke's face was of pure terror as he realized that the older boy's fist was aiming at him.

Suddenly, a calm hand found its way on Hotta's shoulder. Hotta turned around, still not letting go of his captive, to find Mitsui, his face calm but his eyes blazing with fire that Hotta has never known he was capable of. "I'll handle this, Norio."

Hotta stepped back as he let Mitsui handle the situation. Mitsui, also grabbed the younger boy's uniform in his fist. His eyes were staring through Nunuke's terrifed ones. "Don't you ever call her a bitch, do you understand?" he said it in a very low voice as he shook Nunuke hard.

"Yes," Nunuke cried afraid for his safety. "Let me go now! Don't hurt me! I won't tell anyone about this if you'd just let me go unharmed!" he pleaded.

"All right," Mitsui compromised. With that, he thrust Nunuke hard out the door. However as an afterthought, he added, "If I ever hear that you're troubling her, I'll set my men on you, you hear?"

"I hear," Nunuke replied as he scurried off on his way to the faculty room before Mitsui could change his mind.

Mitsui clenched his fists by his side as he heard the footsteps disappear around the corner. There was no way he could ask Azura Trinity now… _A top student would never go out with a gangster like me… What would her parents say? What would she say? _

Hah! Mitsui Hisashi! The girl you've fallen in love with is a girl you can't have. Love? Yes, admit it. You've fallen deeply in love with her… But you can't do anything about it… You don't deserve her… Not her, not her love… In fact, with your ways, you don't deserve anyone, at all…

Bitter laughter echoed throughout the empty classroom as the proud gang leader tried desperately to stop his tears from flowing…But that he could not.

To Be Continued… 

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	2. Part 2

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Picture of You

Author's Notes:

Hi! Well, I read through what I posted and saw that I made some grammar mistakes. Sorry, about that. I don't have a Beta Reader. I don't even know what that is, all I do know is that checks grammar mistake… Is it a person or a program? You are free to flame me for being ignorant! Hehehe… But you are freer to review my story! Hahaha!

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A year has passed….

"Anzai-Sensei… I want to… I want to play basketball again, " and with this Mitsui Hisashi threw his pride as he cried that he wanted to play basketball again.

He came to the Gym with his friends to ruin the Basketball Club. They wanted them to be banned from playing. However, his plan to ruin the Basketball Club turned to ashes. His love for basketball won over and he asked Anzai-Sensei's forgiveness and permission to join the Club again and be a Sportsman, the way that he was meant to be.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sporting his new hairdo, which now left the back of his neck to feel the breeze of the cool air, he challenged Kogure to a one-on-one. 

He dribbled past the vice-captain of the team. 

Eluded him and shoot a perfect arc that was sure to make the ball go in.

The swishing sound that the ball made as it went through the net was like music to Mitsui Hisashi's ears. He can never forget the excitement of basketball.

He raised his fist in the air.

Kogure can only look at him unbelievingly. He was sure that he could get one past the former MVP. He underestimated him, thinking that he had a two-year block.

Mitsui can only grin in triumph at the shorter boy. 

That signified a new beginning for him. A new beginning as a basketball player, recovering from his fall… And maybe, just maybe, a better man worthy of Azura Trinity's love. That is, if he ever had the courage to ask her out. 

A year has passed and by now, Trinity would be a sophomore just like Miyagi Ryota, his past rival and now teammate. _I wonder how she is? Does she remember me? Does she have someone else in her life now?_

Mitsui shuddered at his last thought. He sure hopes that 'NO' would be the answer to that question. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Trinity is off in dreamland while her History teacher is talking about Americans and Japanese. She rarely daydreams in class but today was an exception. Today was the day that she met Mitsui, only problem is that was exactly one year ago. She hasn't seen Mitsui since then although she tried her hardest. _Maybe he changed schools… That would be a good possibility…Or maybe his family transferred to another country…, _she mused to herself as the Sensei's voice droned in the background. _I wonder how long his hair is now… _She giggled quietly so as the class won't think she's crazy._ The teachers must've instructed him to cut his hair. _She sighed. _Maybe he's just around the corner but I didn't recognize him because he did as he was told…_

She opened her notebook and a picture of a boy smiling greeted her. She lightly touched the picture as she had done so in the past year. All through the year, she has kept the picture hoping that she would meet him again and return the picture… And then introduce herself.

Suddenly, she felt a light finger touch her shoulder from the back. She turned to her back and saw Ayako, looking at her with concerned eyes. Ayako and Trinity had become friends ever since they met each other in their first day of sophomore year.

"Daijobou?" Ayako had seen that Trinity was distressed, which was unlikely for the girl.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Trinity replied shutting her notebook so that Ayako won't see the picture inside it.

"Ahem!" The Sensei cleared his throat to get the two talking girls' attention. 

"Oops," Ayako and Trinity both breathed, grinning at each other.

"Miss Azura, I know you are one of the brightest students in this class… But I must warn you that Behavior, in my class is also graded. Therefore, I suggest that you stop talking with Miss Ayako and concentrate on our lesson," the Sensei glared at her. He personally didn't like Trinity that much. He sees no sense why the girl got away with talking in class and still gets the highest marks. He believes that the one that should get the highest marks should be the ones that patiently listened to his boring lectures. It didn't occur to him that Trinity was just plain smart.

"Hai, Sensei," Trinity replied politely.

"As punishment for not listening," the Sensei had an evil glint in his eye, joyful at the chance to humiliate the girl. "What were discussing before we were rudely interrupted by you?"

Trinity stood up and answered calmly. "The bombing of Hiroshima, Sensei," she is undoubtedly one of the people who can still listen to their surroundings while doing something such as talking and daydreaming.

The Sensei can only glare at her, his face turning red. Instead of embarrassing Trinity, he was the one embarrassed. 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"… Close the door… Lay down on the floor… And by candlelight make love to me through the night," Trinity sang as she was arranging her locker, deciding on which books to leave there for the night.

"Hi, Trinity!"

Trinity whirled around and saw Ayako and Miyagi Ryota, the point guard of the Shohoku Basketball Team. It wasn't a surprise that they were together because where Ayako, the manager of the Basketball Club went, Miyagi, her insistent admirer was sure to be behind. "Hey! It's my partner in crime!" Trinity raised her hand as she and Ayako high-fived.

"Hahaha! Yeah, that was pretty smooth of you, Trinity! You should've seen the veins that popped from Sensei's forehead. It was clearly visible from where I sat," Miyagi praised.

"Thanks, Ryota! That was because he was being so mean," she stuck her tongue out for emphasis. "What are you doing here anyway? Isn't practice about to start?" she smiled at the two. _They do make a kawaii couple! _

"Yeah, it is. It's just that I was wondering if I could borrow your notebook… I forgot to take down notes on our Biology class," Ayako sheepishly explained.

"Of course! It's a good thing that we don't have any assignments for tonight, though!" Trinity said as she grabbed her notebook from her locker. "Here," the green-eyed girl handed the notebook to Ayako as she tucked her now long brown hair behind her ear.

"Thanks… Since there are no assignments, why don't you come with us and watch practice? It would be a change… I won't be the only girl there, well besides Haruko that is… " Ayako invited as she took the notebook from Trinity.

"Yeah! You could cheer for me! You and Ayako! That way, I only need one more to rival the Rukawa Shinetai!" Miyagi seconded, laughing.

"Hahaha!" Trinity laughed, the Rukawa Shinetai was known all over the school. "Thanks. But no, thanks. I have to baby-sit for my little sister today," Trinity shook her head.

"You really are a busy girl! This is like the hundredth time I've asked you to come with me and you still can't go!" Ayako pouted. "Maybe next time again?"

"Maybe," Trinity grinned as she leaned on her locker door.

"Oh! We have to go! See you tomorrow, ne? Come on Ryota!" Ayako cried as she tugged Miyagi's hand to the direction of the gym.

"Bye!" Trinity called out to the disappearing figures of the two.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The basketball team was on a break from practice so Ayako decided to scan the amount of notes she has to copy from Trinity's notebook. She grabbed the notebook and sat among the basketball players who were resting in the sidelines. 

"Hey Ayako, what's that?" Sakuragi who was sitting beside Mitsui asked as she saw Ayako sit beside Miyagi with a notebook in her hand. Miyagi is sitting on Mitsui's other side. Rukawa is still on the court practicing as usual while Akagi was talking to Anzai-Sensei. The other basketball players were sitting on the other side of the court.

"This?" Ayako raised the notebook, not noticing that something fell from the notebook. "This is our classmate's notebook. I borrowed it to copy some notes," she finished.

Miyagi noticing the paper that fell from the notebook picked it up and handed it to Ayako, withougt even looking at it. "Aya-chan, this fell from the notebook."

Ayako grabbed the paper that Miyagi handed her and found out that it was a picture. She turned it over to take a look at it and found a smiling boy with blue eyes in the picture, which looks vaguely familiar. "Nani?" a surprised Ayako gasped as she realized who the guy in the picture was.

"Daijobou, Aya-chan?" an alarmed Miyagi asked when he heard Ayako gasp.

However, Ayako didn't hear the point guard's question as she kept staring at the picture in her hands. _No… It can't be… Can it?_

Seeing that the picture was distracting Ayako, Miyagi grabbed the picture from Ayako's hands. "Ryota!" Ayako protested but the point guard, with his swiftness, had already snatched the photo from Ayako's hands.

"Ah!" Miyagi yelped as he saw the guy in the picture. Miyagi's yelp and Ayako's gasp made Hanamichi curious and he too, made a grab for the photo.

"Hey Hanamichi! It's my turn first!" Mitsui tried to make a grab for the photograph from the redhead thinking that there must really be something weird in that photograph. _I mean Ayako's gasp is okay… But Miyagi's? What the hell? _"Hey I'm next in line, you know besides I'm older than you are!"

Hanamichi paid no heed to his Sempai's loud protests as he stared at the picture intently, making sure that it was out of the shorter boy's reach. As it all dawned on him, "Nyahahaha! I don't know what you're yelping and gasping about but this Tensai have figured it all! This is just Micchy on the picture!" with that said, he thrust the picture on Mitsui's eager face. "Ain't that you, Micchy?"

Mitsui stared at the picture dumbfounded. It was he all right. A younger version of him. His hair was much longer but shorter than the one he just had. He recognized it as the picture taken for his junior high yearbook. "Where… Where did you get it?" he stammered as he took the picture from Hanamichi's hand. _I thought I didn't have anymore copies of this one? _

"In this notebook," Ayako answered him. "I didn't know that you kn…" Ayako started but was quickly cut of by Mitsui.

"Who's the owner of the notebook?" Mitsui's voice betrayed his agitation to find out the answer. _Could I have left it in my locker and Trinity got it? If so why has she been keeping this for so long? Is there a chance that she…_

"Azura Trinity. Do you know her?" Ayako asked softly as she noticed the softening eyes of her Sempai as he sat down still holding the picture.

"Oi, Micchy? You all right?" a concerned Hanamichi asked. Even if he was known to be a gangster, Hanamichi still has a soft spot in him and it showed as he saw the forlorn look in Mitsui's face. He too, sat down beside Mitsui. Ayako and Miyagi, copied him and they sat in a circle around Mitsui.

"Daijobou?" Miyagi asked too when Mitsui still didn't answer. Mitsui's eyes were still on his picture.

Mitsui took a deep breath. "If I tell you guys something, would you promise not to repeat it to anyone?"

All three heads bobbed up and down as an answer.

Mitsui took a deep breath again and poured his heart out to his new friends the secret only he and Hotta knew about.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Wow!" Hanamichi breathed as Mitsui finished his story. Mitsui just grinned at him sadly.

"Double wow!" Miyagi echoed.

"Eh? Sempai, why don't you just ask her out now? I mean, you're a basketball player now not a gangster," Ayako pointed out the obvious.

"You can call me a chicken if you want but I'm afraid too. What if she doesn't accept me?" Mitsui confessed his problems.

"What if she accepts you?" Miyagi shot back.

"Micchy, if she rejects you, then she rejects you. But you wouldn't know that unless you ask her," Hanamichi patted his Sempai's back. _Take it from the expert! Rejected by 50 girls! Fifty! Those girls must be blind not to see the Tensai's good looks! _Hanamichi thought to himself.

"I got an idea!" Ayako burst out.

"Nani?!?" three boys crowded to hear her idea.

"Why don't you keep the picture for awhile. When I return the notebook to her, she'll sure find out that's it's missing and you can give it back to her!" she finished excitedly. _This is such a cute love story!_

"Then what?" an uncertain Mitsui asked of the supposed plan.

"Duh! Then tell her everything! Come on Sempai! I've been friends with her since the beginning of the year and she's pretty nice and understanding! She'll understand you!"

"Go for it Micchy!" 

"Yeah! Go for it!"

Overwhelmed by his friends' support, Mitsui, although still reluctant, agreed to the plan. "All right. I'll do it."

"That's the spirit!" Ayako cried happily as she absently struck Mitsui on the back with her famous paper fan.

"Itai!" howled Mitsui.

"Oops! Sumimasen, Sempai! I was just too excited…"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

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Where is it? Where is it? Trinity's thoughts raced. Her head once again was buried in her locker. This time she was looking for the picture she lost. Last night she remembered that she forgot to get the picture from her notebook when she gave it to Ayako. However, when Ayako returned the notebook to her, it was not there. She didn't dare ask Ayako if she saw the picture. She didn't want her to think that she was obsessing over some guy that is nowhere to be found. Her last resort was her locker, thinking she must have dropped it there.

Five minutes of looking and she still didn't find it. She removed her head from her locker to take some air into her lungs. She checked her watch and it read 5:00. There were no students around because they were dismissed two hours ago. The only people left on the building were those who are varsity players and the custodians. Trinity, herself, should have been on her way home now. But thanks to the missing picture, which gave her no peace until she found it, she's still at school trying desperately to make it appear in her locker. _Darn! Azura Trinity this is what you get for falling in love with a guy you've met only once! You're attracted to his picture! Wait a minute, love? Yes, it is love! Admit it! All through this years, you're not just hoping to return the picture to him but to find him and talk with him again!_

"Hah! You are one crazy girl Trinity!" she mentally kicked herself as she closed her eyes.

"Are you looking for this, Miss?" a familiar voice asked out of the blue. 

__

That voice… Trinity opened her eyes to see…Mitsui. A different Mitsui, one who has shorter hair but with the same twinkling blue eyes. _Hah! So he did cut his hair short! I knew the teachers wouldn't let him keep his hair! _He was holding something out to her and Trinity traveled her eyes to see what it was. It was the picture.

She quickly snatched the picture from his hands. Then when realization hit her at what she did, she blushed. "Gomenasai! I was going to return this to you when we meet again. So here," she said apologizing for her rash actions while holding out the picture for him to take.

Mitsui laughed. "No, it's yours! It's been with you for a year now. After all I think it will be better taken care of in your hands than in mine!"

__

He laughed… He laughed… This mantra repeated in Trinity's head. _Not only did he change his hairdo but he himself has changed. He's more relaxed… More carefree… Like the guy in the picture. _Then another realization hit her again and she fired questions at Mitsui. "How did you get this? How did you know I was looking for it?"

Mitsui laughed again as he held his hand as a sign for her to stop. "Whoa! Slow down! One question at a time!" he smiled at her tenderly.

Trinity smiled. She likes to hear him laugh. _I wish I can hear him laugh everyday… _"Gomenasai, again! How did you get it?"

"Ayako gave it to me. It fell out of the notebook she borrowed from you. You were keeping it in your notebook for the past year," Mitsui explained smiling teasingly.

Trinity blushed at the answer. "How… How did you know I was looking for it?" she smiled at him weakly. _Great! Now he thinks I'm a stalker! Just great!_

However she was surprised to hear Mitsui's answer. "Let's just say that if I was to lose something I've kept carefully for a year, I would be devastated too," he was still smiling at her, looking at her straight in the eyes.

Trinity nodded her head in agreement. That was what she was feeling a while ago. However there was still an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. "May I ask you something? How come I never ran into you ever since the day we met at my locker?" she said softly. "I was looking for you, you know," Trinity unconsciously confessed her feelings to Mitsui.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

__

She was looking for me. She was looking for me. She was looking for me. 

These words repeated in Mitsui's head. A warm feeling surged through his body as he realized that Trinity has feelings for him too. He sighed. _I still have to answer her question though. I can't just ask her out without any explanation. She'd turn me down for sure if I didn't explain things to her. _

Mitsui took a deep breath. "We never met again because I was rarely at school. I was a gangster before. I cut class," he waited holding his breath for Trinity's reaction. He was dismayed when he found out Trinity's answer.

Trinity's face crumpled into an expression of pure shock. _I can't believe this! He was a gangster before? _"Uh? You said 'before'?" she waited for him to affirm what she heard.

"Yeah. I'm not a gangster anymore… I'm a basketball player…"

Trinity felt like she was going to faint. She closed her locker door and leaned on it. Mitsui leaned on the locker next to hers as he peered at her with concern. "This is crazy! A gangster and now a basketball player?" she mumbled to herself not intending for Mitsui to hear her crazy ramblings but he did.

"It's not actually crazy…" he said softly from beside her. Mitsui waited for her response but when she didn't respond to him, he got worried that he bluntly blurted out, "Will you go out with me?"

She snapped her head in his direction, surprised at what he said.

Mitsui noticed the sudden reaction. "Just so I can explain things better to you… If you don't want to, it's okay…" Mitsui said hoping against hope that her answer would be 'yes'. He looked down at his rubber shoes, as of it was the most interesting thing at the moment. 

"What's your name?" Trinity suddenly asked. Mitsui averted his eyes towards her and saw warm green eyes staring back at him. "I've been talking with you for the past few minutes and I don't even know your name," she smiled at him.

Mitsui grinned. He knew he has her already. "It's Mitsui. Mitsui Hisashi, Miss Azura Trinity," he held out his hands for her to shake.

Again she was surprised that Mitsui knows her name. _My head is swirling with all that is happening… Good thing he asked me out… Maybe when we go out I can comprehend all this… _"How did you know my name?" she shot back as he took her hand and shook it in hers.

"I have my ways… Or should I say, men?" Mitsui winked at her. Suddenly…

BLAG!

"BAKAS!!!" a female's shrill voice called out.

PRACK! PRACK!

When all the dust has settled, it revealed three figures, one girl and two boys one on top of the other. Obviously the two boys have fallen and was hit by the famous paper fan. The girl was Ayako and the boy underneath the other guy was Miyagi Ryota. Trinity realized the boy on top of Miyagi as the famous Sakuragi Hanamichi. She had watched his duel with the Basketball team's Captain. 

"You, bakas! You ruined Ny-chan and Mitsui-Sempai's moment!" Ayako's ears has steam coming out of them.

"Urgh! Get off me, Hanamichi!" Miyagi grunted from under the taller and heavier boy. "You're squashing me to death!"

"Oops!" Sakuragi quickly jumped from his position while Miyagi tried if his legs are still working while muttering, "Baka, Hanamichi!"

Meanwhile, Mitsui was scowling at the three, shooting death glares. The three, on the other hand, were oblivious to his death stares because they were arguing within themselves. He was about to speak his mind out when he heard Trinity's voice. "Don't mind them. I never answered your question."

Mitsui turned around to wait for her answer.

Trinity took a deep breath. "Yes," then she paused, smiling, "I'll go out with you… but you have to tell me everything… And I mean everything."

Mitsui was so overjoyed to hear her answer that he strolled over to her. He grabbed Trinity in his arms and kissed her right there and then in the lips. Trinity surprised but nonetheless happy at the turn of events can only kiss back savoring the sweet taste of Mitsui's lips on hers. 

The three, finally, ending their argument saw the happening before them.

"Wooohh!!! Go, Micchy!" Saukragi hollered at the top of his lungs.

"Yeah! Mitsui-san!" Miyagi cheered raising his fists in the air.

"Trinity, you rock, girl!" Ayako said, happy that her friend found happiness at last.

Mitsui and Trinity, didn't take any notice of the three cheering and just continued their passionate kissing.

~ OWARI ~

Author's Notes:

Well, that was it! Hope you like it! Happy Birthday again Mitsui Hisashi! Luv ya!


End file.
